Palestinian and Israeli leaders visit Turkiye
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas will travel to Turkiye on July 25 to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Abbas and Erdogan will discuss Turkish-Palestinian relations, the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and other regional and international issues, as well as steps that can be taken to enhance cooperation between Turkiye and the Palestinian State.
Three days later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also travel to Ankara to hold talks with Erdogan. Relations between Turkiye and Israel have improved over the past year, with several high-level visits taking place, after more than a decade of tensions. Last year, Israeli President Isaac Herzog met with Erdogan in Turkiye. Netanyahu’s visit will be the first by an Israeli President since Ehud Olmert in 2008.
The upcoming visits, organised by Turkiye, come at a time when the West Bank is witnessing the worst outbreak of violence in years. In June the first Israeli drone assault in the area since 2006 took place, as well as military raids on the city of Jenin, where Israeli forces killed 12 Palestinians, including three children. At least 3,000 people fled their homes while dozens of houses were shelled, and widespread destruction was caused to roads and other infrastructure. In April of this year, Erdogan declared Israel has crossed a red line after the Israeli police clashed with Palestinians inside the Al Aqsa mosque.
“President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will welcome the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Turkey in the course of the same week,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement. The leaders will discuss “Turkey-Palestine relations and the latest developments in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as other topical international issues”, it added.
